Day four... feeling good.

When life gives me lemons, I promptly slice the lemon and stick a quarter in my mouth, grin as though the peel were my teeth, and suck the sourness out of the fruit until all that remains are the rinds and that slimy, acidic taste on my chomps. “Simplify, simplify, simplify,” chants the author who preached a great word to many about living independently and then went home for dinner and cookies at his mother’s house. Granted... I love my mother’s dinner, and I love cookies. I just don’t preach simplicity... except in lemon rinds. My point in this: my simplified, free from Facebook life, plus the idea of a random adventure tomorrow equal one very happy, lemon-sucking womanchild. If life were my lemon, I’d quarter it and share it with as many friends as possible. And then I’d go home, eat dinner at mumsy’s, and bake cookies. That’s how I’m feeling about life currently.
Day four without Facebook is glorious. My co-worker and dear friend has launched the threat that I either return to Facebook or risk my mother getting friended. I told him to go ahead and friend my mama, she’ll like it. More status updates. I do miss being able to share photos, so I may create one of those free online albums. That way people can still enjoy the photos and take from them what they will. I’ll loophole a ladder into social networking; I just won’t call it Facebook. I also find that my iPhone battery lives a lot longer without me using the Facebook application nonstop: ultimately giving me more bang for my charge. Other news: I have I purple hair. Granted, the box said “black cherry.” In certain lights, black cherry is what it is. The woman who cut my hair called it “eggplant.” I like it. Sometimes it looks red. Sometimes it looks like I sucked a little too hard on a purple popsicle and the color shot up my roots like trees pulling moisture from the ground. Despite the mixed feelings from my mother, I like it. If I stop liking it, I’ll get a buzz cut. Simple. Hair is hair. I’ve got bigger fish to fry.

I apologize for the scowling appearance.  When my face relaxes it gives the impression that I'm frowning.  It was post work, I was tired, sleep deprived, and just wanted a decent picture to demonstrate color.  But hey, sort of looks black cherry in this lighting!  Woot.

The first real struggle

I'm sitting here, attempting to edit this extraordinarily boring piece of pamphlet for an organization my father is part of (and which he volunteered me to do it before I agreed), and I’ve realized that I am now facing my first real anti-face struggle.

In the past, when I tried to delve into writing or editing, I'd open the word processor and type a few craptastic sentences, and then open the web browser and play on Facebook until I figured out which direction to take with my paper. Through this venture, I’d learn which other classmates were doing the same thing I was as I was via status updates, and in return leave panicked wall posts about not doing the work. I’d read what I could be doing and the fun I could be having if I would just finish the damned paper/project that I’m not working on. Sense the pattern? It was sort of a motivational and joint support group for procrastinators. Le sigh.

NO FACEBOOK. So I turn to blogging, not only because it’s helping to loosen my fingers, but because this is a prime example of me needing the Facebook. Gah.

And now I sit, staring at boring, almost unreadable pamphlet full of confusing history with no chronological sequence, contemplating an additional cup of coffee and a frozen Reese’s peanut butter egg.

The first day without Facebook

As well as being a self-admitted coffee addict, I have a terrible, nearly incurable attraction to the social networking gig called Facebook. I waste a great many hours on there doing absolutely nothing. Granted, it does assist me with keeping track of my college and work buddies, but I spend time just staring blankly at the screen and obnoxiously posting on friend's pages. Not at all helpful for my productivity.

This lead me to start contemplating "what could I be doing if I wasn't on Facebook every free moment I have?" I came up with the following: reading more, writing more (writing at all, actually), exercise more (at least move around more), etc. Almost as if I were a smoker who realizes when she doesn't inhale as much, running is easier; a breath of fresh air filled my lungs and the free time that became available gave me a hug. The possibilities seemed endless, or at the very least promising. I then deactivated my account cold turkey and decided that I'd write about the challenges of facing this break-up. It's not easy to give up on something that has been part of your life for hours each day for the past five years.

The goal is 30 days of Facebook-free life. Granted, I don't know what I'll do when I find a good picture of me (as past reactions were "new profile pic!"), and I don't know if I'll actually use the new time given to me for anything appropriate (this is up in the air), but it's a challenge and I'm sure it'll be interesting at the very least.

This is Day 1. I've managed to repress most needs to go to the most visited website on browser, but it hasn't been easy. Safari has placed it at the top of the URL bar because it is sadly my most visited site. I've had to text funny things to friends rather than posting it on their walls. I've had to deal with my mother asking me why I've blocked her, my friend asking why I defriended him, and the disgruntled opinion of a friend who asked "who's going to post texts from last night?"

But, on the bright side, I now relish in the idea that no one knows what I'm doing. Just as I cannot stalk them, they cannot follow me, comment on my thoughts or on other people's thoughts on my wall. This part I could get used to. It's almost like forgetting my cellphone for a day. There's a peace in knowing that no one can contact me.

Take care!